March Second Thursday showcases UGA School of Music choirs

The Second Thursday Scholarship Series at the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music usually features one or two of the School’s talented ensembles or performers, but March’s edition offers quite a bit more: five times more, in fact.

The UGA Choral Showcase in Hodgson Concert Hall on Thursday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. (on the third Thursday this month due to this year’s Spring Break) brings five of the School of Music’s accomplished vocal ensembles to the stage for a night of choral music new and old.

“The Choral Showcase will be a celebration of the many styles and sounds of choral music at UGA,” said Dr. Dan Bara, the John D. Boyd UGA Foundation Professor of Choral Music and director of choral activities at the School.

The showcase features the UGA Glee Clubs, both men’s and women’s, and Collegium Musicum, specializing in early choral music, led by Dr. J.D. Burnett, associate director of choral activities; the African American Choral Ensemble led by Dr. Gregory Broughton, chair of the voice area at the School of Music; and the Hodgson Singers, led by Bara.

“We’re hoping this will be an engaging and entertaining program for the audience, featuring a collage-like succession of choral performances,” said Bara. “We’re juxtaposing styles from the Renaissance to African-American Spirituals, Kentucky Shape-Note Singing to popular music, and many styles in between.”

This diversity of genres makes each choral performance unique, but the diversity isn’t limited to the music.

“The UGA choral program attracts singers from throughout the university and greater Athens community,” said Bara. “We have singers in high school all the way up to singers in their 70s and 80s.”

The Second Thursday Scholarship Series began in 1980 and continues the tradition of “Music Appreciation Programs” started by Hugh Hodgson in the 1930s. Proceeds from contributions and ticket sales to these concerts are among the primary means through which School of Music scholarship funds are raised each year.

Tickets are $18 each or $5 with a UGA student ID and are available at pac.uga.edu, 706-542-4400 or by visiting the Performing Arts Center box office.